Machine for drilling holes in screwheads and the like



Feb. 20, 1945. l M, W, HUMPHREYS 2,369,828

MACHINE Fon DRILLING HoLEs 1N scREwHEADs AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 2, 1943 3 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 Arroz/vers Feb. 20, 1945. l M Vy, HUMPHREYS 2,369,828

MACHINE FOR DRKILLING HOLES IN SCREWHEADS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 2, 1943 3 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 3y/14am WHz/MPf/esvs Feb 20, 1945- M. w. HuMPHREYs 2,369,828

MACHINE FOR DRILLING HOLES IN SCREWHEADS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 2, 1943 3 Sheecs-Shee'fl 5 15mg I/%a IIIINQ` l INVENTOR. 'MM/m 14./ MMP/fk5 Ys ,firme/vers menes Feb. zo, 1945 =umriss lSTATI-:s PATENT orrics MACHINE FOR DRILLING HOLES IN SCREWHEADS AND THE LIKE Marion W. Humphreys, Euclid, Ohio Application January 2, 1943, Serial No. 411,188 7 Claims. (Cl. 77-27) This invention relates to a machine for drilling holes in the heads of screws or bolts. A

The object of the invention is to provide a machine which is simple in operation -and compact in construction and which very eiiectively drills the various holes in the screw heads.

The machine comprises a device for supporting in vertical position a screw in proper relation to a, vertically movable drill which drills a hole axially in the screw head, and a plurality of drills, in this instance six, which drill holes laterally into the bore or hole that is formed by the ilrst named drill. Additionally, it comprises a hydraulic motor which is controlled by a lever operating a three-way valve which admits iiuid slowly to one end oi the cylinder, slowly forcing the piston oi the motor in one direction. The piston of the motor operates through mechanism to be described a cam which moves ilrst the drill which drills the hole in the head oi the screw and then the drills which drill the small holes axially into the bore. When the piston movement is completed, the drills have all performed their work. Then on throwing the lever in the opposite direction, the drills are again caused to func-.- tion rapidly so as to remove what burr there has been produced by the drilling operations. The

drills are 'operated at the desired speed by an electric motor. After the screw has been drilled and the drills have been retracted to their normal positions, the screw is removed and manually replaced with a new screw to be drilled, and then the operations are repeated.' l

The invention may be further summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construc- 35 tion and combinationsand arrangements ot parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheets oi drawings wherein I have shown the preferred embodiment of the 40 invention.

Fig. A1 is a view partly in side elevation and ticularly the cam, this'view being taken approximately along the line 6-l of Fig. Vi;

iiig. 6 is a side elevation 'on an enlarged scale showing one oi the drilled screws; and

Fig. 'I is an end view o f the drilled head of the screw.

Referring now to the drawings, III represents a circular table which is supported at a given height above the floor by three legs Il (see Figs. l and 2).. Fixed tothe center oi the table is a screw .v

designated Ila and the head lib, the hole which l is drilled centrally of the head oi the screw in line with the axis of the shank is designated llc and the six holes which are drilled from the six sides of the head to the hole Ile are designated Ild. It is the purpose of this invention to drill theaxial hole llc andthe transversely extending holes Ild.

The member I2 is double cup-shaped. and exgo tending in an axial direction through the walls ps1-uy m vertical section substanusuy along me line I--I oi Fig. 2;

of the socket I3 are adjustable bushings 4I5 to take the axially extending drills, six in number. These drills are held in position by vertically extending screws which extend from the top of the member I2. The head oi the screw to be drilled is such that the six sides of the head IIb engage the inner ends of these bushings. It will be understood that if different sizes of screws are to be drilled. the bushings can be moved inwardly or outwardly to' accommodate the particular size of screw to be drilled. I

On opposite sides ci the screw receiving member I2 are a pair of upstandingrods I8 having a, spring pressed abutment I'I which is adapted Fig. 2 is a top plan view oi the machine with 45 to vengage the upper end of the shank of the the screw receiving or positioningtop oi the machine removed:

Fig. 3 is a side elevation oi part of the mechdevice at the anism including the means for operating the various drills and the cam operating means for moving the drills in and out, parts being in section;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view ot the apparatus on an enlarged scale, parts being omitted z Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing par- 55 spindle 23 which has a slot and pin-orkey-conscrew yand thus hold the screw in'position while it is being drilled. To permit the insertion or removal of'a screw, this'abutment I1 can be moved vertically by a link I8 connected to a hand le- 50 ver I9, this hand lever being carried by a fixed nection 24 with a driving sleeve 28 supported by upper and lower ball bearings 28 in a sleeve 21 secured in and depending from a platform 23 connected by depending lugs 23a from the table l (see Fig. 4). Secured by a setscrew 28 to the driving sleeve 28 is a driving member 38. A spring 3| which surrounds the lower end of the spindle 23 allows the spindle to be elevated until a pair oi adjustable pins 32 on a support 33 fixed to the lowervend oi the spindle 23 come into contact with the lower end of the driving member 30. The manner in which this spindle is elevated will be referred to presently.

As will be explained later, the hole |4c in the screw |4 is ilrst drilled into the screw while the screw is positioned as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4 in the socket |3 of the screw receiving member I2.

As soon as the drill 2| is retracted, the six holes |4d are drilled inthe head |4b or the screw from the outer hexagonal faces of the screw in to the hole |4c. For this purpose there are mounted in horizontal supports 34`on the table I0 six drills 38 which are spaced 60 apart, each drill 35 being secured by a socket 38 to a spindle 31 extending axially through the horizontal sup port 34 and provided with a driving pulley 38. As will appear subsequently, three of the drills located-120 apart are moved inwardly and then outwardly simultaneously, whereupon the other three drills are moved inwardly and then outwardly. Each time the drills 38 are moved inwardly while rotated by the driving pulley 38 they drill the holes |4d in the screw head;

All the drills are driven by an electric motor 38 which is secured by a support 4|) (Fig. l) to the legs This electric motor has at its upper end a pulley 4| which drives by means ci' a belt 12 a pulley 43which is secured to oris formed as a part of the lower end oi the driving member 30 which, as before stated, is keyed by a setscrew Y 28 to the driving sleeve 28.

drills there is employed a cam 48 which is shown in Fig. 5 and which is rotatably supported on the lower side oi' theplatform member 28 by an extension 48 thereof (see Fig. 4). Mounted in the extension 49 is a cam-operated plunger 88 for moving the vertical spindle and the drill 2| upwardly and six plungers 8| for moving the horizontal drills 38 and the drill spindles 31 laterally (see Fig. 5). Theplunger 8|) is operated by a push rod 82 (see Fig. l3) connected by an adjustable screw 83' to a bell crank lever 8'4 which is pivotally supported on an arm secured to and extending downwardly from. the table I8. The horizontal arm 54a of the bell crank 84 extends under and. engages the lower end of the spindle 23 which drives the vertical drill 2|. Thus, when *the push rod 82 is moved outwardly by a high spot of the cam it elevates the spindle El) and the drill 2|, compressing the spring 3|, this movement causing the drilling of the hole |4c in the screw head. When the push rod 82 and plunger 80 are permitted to move backward by the cam. the spring 3| lowers the spindle 23 and the drill 2| out ot the hole which has been drilled in the Above the lower pulley 43 there is a" series of I six pulleys 44 which receive driving belts 48, one for each of the drill spindles 31. 'I'he belts 48 are endless and each passes around a lower sheave 48 on one side of one of the pulleys 44 to and around the driving pulley 38 on the drill spindle 31 and then around a similar sheave 41 and back to the driving pulley 44. As before stated, this same arrangement of driving belts 48 is provided for each of the six horizontal drillspindles 31 which rotate the drills 38, the six pulleys 44 being arranged one above the other on the periphery of the driving member 38. When the machine is in operation, the vertically movable drill 2| and the laterally movable drills 38 are operated constantly at fairly high speed. First the drill 2| is moved upwardly so as to drill the hole I4c in the head of the screw and is then retracted. Then three oi' the drills 38 are simultaneously moved inwardly so as to drill three holes |4d in the sides of the head ofthe screw, these holes being spaced 120 apart, and after these holes have been drilled and the drillsretracted or while the drills are being retracted, the other three drills 38 are moved inwardly to drill the other three holes I4d and these drills are then retracted. This completes the drilling operations except that burrs are removed from the holes |4d of the screw by inserting the ilrst mentioned three horizontal drills inwardly into the drilled holes |4d and then by inserting the drill 2| up into the hole I4c, these reaming movements occurring relatively rapidly.

For the purpose of operating all seven o! the screw head. The push rod 82 and plunger d@ are moved inwardly against the circular part of the cam by the spring 3|.

The six plungers 8l are connected by push rods 58 tosix equally spaced adjustable screws [5l which are carried at the lower end of rocker arms 83 (see particularly Fig. 1) which engage the outer ends of the spindles 31. The cam is so constructed that three of the push rods 88 and rocker arms 88 are operated to move inwardly simulta neously three of the horizontal drill spindles spaced apart, thus drilling three holes 64d simultaneously in the screw head, and the cam is also so constructed that immediately upon the retraction oi' the three horizonal drills 38 the other three push rods 88 and rocker arms 83 are operated so as to move inwardly the remaining three drills spaced 120 apart so as to drill the other three'holes I4d, it being remembered that all the drillsare continuously rotated.

As shown in Fig. 5, the cam 48 has six high spots 43a which engage the plungers 88 and 8i. As shown'in Fig. 5, three oi the high spots ot the cam are in engagement with three of the plungers 8|, these high spots having moved these three plungers outwardly for the full distance equiva lent to the full inward movement ot the three horizontal drills 38. As the cam is rotated iurther, the remaining three plungers are moved outwardly so as to complete the horizontal drilling operations. 'I'he plunger 88 connected to the push rod 82 is, inthe cycle of operations, operated ilrst by one of the high spots of the cam, it being remembered that by virtuero'f the single spring 3| and the six springs 88h surrounding the horizontal spindles, the plungers follow the high spots oi' the cam inwardly so as to be in position to be actuated when the cam is rotated.

'I'he cam is operated ilrstin one direction and then in the other by means of a hydraulic cylinder 83 and piston 80 (see Fig. 2), the cylinder `being supported below the level of the table I8 by means of an arm 8| (see Fig. I1). The piston 88 has attached to it a plunger 82 which is pivotally connected to an arm 83 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which, as ,shown in Fig. 4, isattached to the cam 48. Water under pressure is supplied to one side oi the cylinder by means of a tube or pipe 84 and controlled by a three-wayvalve 88v (see Illg. 2) which has connected to it an arm 88 connected by a link 81 to an actuating lever 88 pivotally mounted on an arm 88 which is attached to the table I (see Fig. 2). The arm 82 has attached to it a spring in which energy is stored ation of the hydraulic motor is thrown in one direction. the valve 85 is turned so as to admit water under pressure behind the piston. The forward movement of the piston through the arm 52 turns the cam 48 and the effect of this rotation is iir'st to elevate the spindle 23 and the drill 2| so as to drill the hole i4c in the head of the screw. As the plunger 50 which is connected to the push rod 52 rides down a high spot of the cam, the drill spindle is withdrawn. Then following this the high spots of the cam meet the plungers connected to three of the push rods 58 which operate the drills 35 to drill three holes |4d spaced 120 apart, and as these plungers ride down theyhigh spots of the cam, the drills are withdrawn by the springs 58h which surround the drill spindles 3l. Further movement of the cam brings the high spots thereof opposite the other three plungers connected to the push rods 58 which operate the other three drills which drill the remaining three holes.

During the major portion of the forward movement of the piston 60 the rod 1|, because of the lost motion connection 1|a with the valve lever 88, has no eiiect on the valve 85, but when the cam reaches a given position, the valve 85 is closed by the rod 1|. Then when the operator manipulates the lever 68 in the opposite direction to that to which the lever was moved to initiate the piston movement, the valve is opened in the opposite direction to release the pressure on the rear side of the piston and to allow the piston to return to its former position under the action of the spring 10. The spring 10 also restores the cam 48 to its original position.

In restoring the cam to its original position, the three plungers last referred to ride down the high spots of the cam, thus retracting the three spindels and drills associated with the plungers, and then the iist mentioned three horizontal drills are moved inwardly and retracted, and then the vertical drill 2| is moved upwardly and retracted. The piston is now returned to its original position and the valve lever 66 is moved by the rod 1I to closed position. The effect of moving the iirst mentioned three drills inward and then retracting them and then moving the vertical drill upward and then retracting it is to ream out; the holes Md and |4c. During this reaming, movement of the cam in the reverse direction is rapid under the action of the spring 1li and the move-y ment of the four drills just referred to is accelerated by reason of the shape of the high spots on the cam which high spots are more abrupt on one side than on the other.

The drilling having been completed, the handle I8 is raised to bring about the elevation of the sliding platform I1 so that the finished screw can be removed and replaced with a new or undrilled one.

At the bottom of the electric motor and attached to the lower end of the motor shaft is a pulley 12 which drives by means of a belt 13 a pulley 14 which is connected to a pump 15 which pumps coolant from a receptacle 18 placed beneath ,the machine. This coolant is pumped by the motor from a perforated receptacle located centrally of the receptacle 18 through a pipe 11 and delivers it by means of a delivery pipe -18 t0 the top of the socket i3 in the screw receiving member. The coolantfafter cooling the drills, nds its way into a receptacle 18 which is located and supported on the underside of the table I0 (see Figs. l and 2) and iinally is delivered by a pipe 50 to the receptacle 18.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a machine which drills the radial and lateral holes in the screw head with great rapidity, it being understood that when a screw has been placed in the machine and water admitted to the rear end ci' the piston the radial hole is drilled, then three holes-spaced 120 apart are drilled from the outer sides of the hexagonal head in to the inner bore |4c, then the remaining three lateral holes are drilled. and the piston stops. On the reversal of the piston by the'operator throwingv the lever 88 in the opposite direction, the three holes first drilled are reamed and the axial hole is reamed, whereupon the operation stops and is repeated with a new screw.

While I have shown the preferred construction, I do not desire to be conned to the precise details shown and described but aim in my claims to cover all modiiications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and the scope of the invention. For example, the word screw" as used herein is inclusive of bolts, and the screw or bolt heads may have more or less than six faces.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a machine for drilling holes in screw heads, a support for the screw to be drilled, a plurality of drills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally thereof, the iirst named drill being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into the bore formed by the first drill, means for rotating the drills and for moving ,them inwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations, the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, a hydraulic motor having a piston for actuating the cam in one direction, means for operatively connecting the surface of the cam to the drills, a valve for controlling the supply of tiuid to one side of the piston, means for closing the valve when the piston reaches a predetermined point, and means for causing the piston to be moved in the reverse direction.

2. In a machine for drilling holes in screw heads. a support for the screw to be drilled, a plurality of drills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally `thereof, the iirst named drill being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into the bore formed by the first drill, means for rotating the drills and for moving them inwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations,

' the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, a hydraulic motor having a piston for actuating the camu in one direction, means for operatively connectthe piston reaches a predetermined point, and spring means ior moving tne piston in tne reverse direction.

a. in a machine ior drilling holes in screw heads, a support for the screw to ne drilled, a plurality or drills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally thereoi, trie iirst named drill being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into vthe bore formed by tne nrst drill, means ior rotating the drills and for moving tiiem iiiwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations, the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, a hydraulic motor having a piston for actuating tne cam in one direction, means operatively connecting the surface oi' the cam to the drills, a valve lor controlling the supply of fluid tov one side of the piston, means for closing the valve when the piston reaches a predetermined point, and means forcausing the piston to be moved in the reverse direction, the high spots of the cam 'being formed so that at least part of the drills will be again moved into the work so as to ream the holes.

4. In a machine for drilling holes in screw heads, a support for the screw to 'be drilled, a plurality ofdrills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally thereof, the rst named drill being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into the bore formed by the rst drill, means for rotating the drills and for moving them inwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations, the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, a hydraulic motor having a piston for actuating the cam in one direction, means for operatively connecting the surface of the cam to the drills, a valve for controlling the supply of uid to one side of the piston, means for closing the valve -when the piston reaches a predetermined point, and spring means for moving the piston in the reverse direction, tlie high spots of the cam being formed so that at least part of the drills will be again moved at increased speed into the work so as to ream the holes.

5. In a machine for drilling holes in screw heads, a support for the screw to be drilled, a plurality of drills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally thereof. the first named drill being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into the bore formed by the first drill, means for rotating the drills and for-moving them inwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations, the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, a hydraulic motor having a piston for actuating the cam in one dnectionypusn rods for operatively connecting the suriace oi' the cam to tne drills, a valve ior controlling the supply of fluid to one side of the piston, means for closing the valve when tne piston reaches a predetermined Apomt, and spring means for moving the piston in the reverse direction, the high spots of the cam being formed so that at least part of the drills will .be again moved into the work so as to ream the holes.

6. In a machine for drilling holes in screw heads, a support for the screw to be drilled, a plurality of drills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally thereof, the rst named drill |being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the screw head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into the bore formed by the first drill, means for rotating the drills and for moving them inwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations, the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, means for operatively connecting the surface of the cam to the drills, a hydraulic motor having a piston, a valve for controlling the supply of fluid to one side of the piston, a manually operated member for actuating the valve in one direction, a lever connected to the oscillatory cam and to the piston of the motor and serving to oscillate the cam, a rod connected to the lever and to the valve, said rod having a lost motion connection with one of the parts whereby the valve is actuated after a vpredetermined oscillatory movement of the cam.

7. In a machine for drilling holes in screw heads, a support for the screw to 'be drilled, a plurality of drills one arranged axially of the screw head and the remainder laterally thereof, the first named drill being adapted to drill a hole centrally of the screw head and the remainder being adapted to drill holes laterally thereof and into the bore formed by the rst drill, means for rotating the drills and for moving them inwardly and outwardly to perform the drilling operations, the means for moving the drills inwardly and outwardly comprising an oscillatory cam having high and low spots thereon, means for operatively connecting the surface of the cam to the drills, a hydraulic motor having a piston, a valve for controlling the supply of fluid to one side of the piston, a manually operated member for actuating the valve in one direction, a lever connected to the oscillatory cam and to the piston of the motor and serving to oscillate the cam, a rod connected to the level and to the valve whereby the valve is actuated after a predetermined oscillatory movement of the cam, and a spring connected to said lever for returning the piston to its original position tand for moving the cam in the reverse direcion.

MARION W. HUMPHREYS. 

